Pupils to experience citizenship ceremony
Cathkin High youngsters invited to event at council HQ
A group of Cambuslang school pupils are to be given royal treatment this week with a special invite to a citizenship ceremony.
Seventeen teenagers from Cathkin High will attend the event tomorrow (Thursday) morning where a group of foreigners living locally will officially become British citizens.
Lady Susan Haughey CBE, the Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire, leads the ceremony where citizens traditionally swear an oath to the Queen and country, or alternatively give an affirmation to be a faithful servant of the country.
The sixth year pupils are being given special access to the ceremony, which is usually held in private, at the South Lanarkshire Council headquarters in Hamilton.
Deputy Lord Lieutenant John McKenzie said: “This is a unique initiative that’s not being done anywhere else in the country. The whole ethos behind it is to educate school pupils on the role of monarchy and the role of the Lord Lieutenant in Lanarkshire community.
“It’s about trying to impart that knowledge about the monarchy to our schools and how the lieutenancy works.
“We’re delighted to be welcoming school pupils along to our citizenship ceremony which involves people from all over the world. It’s a private, but very formal ceremony where the Lord Lieutenant is acting on behalf of the Queen.
“We will include every secondary school in South Lanarkshire in other citizenship ceremonies for the rest of the year.”
In tomorrow’s ceremony the pupils will join the people being granted citizenship, along with members of their families, the Lord Lieutenant representing the Monarchy, the provost representing the council, along with a registrar who completes the documentation and officiates at the ceremony.
Lady Haughey and her office are keen to engage with schools and support them in future events, such as prizegivings.
Lady Haughey also recently teamed up with a selection of high school pupils to create a website, which will provide an insight into her interesting role as the area’s Lord Lieutenant.
The website features an overview of the history of the Lord Lieutenant’s office, including an interactive map of the area the Lanarkshire Lieutenancy covers.
To access the website visit: www.lanarkshirelieutenancy. org.uk